Rodders defy the weather to produce stunning show

Though the drizzle made a mockery of the Mid-Summer Picnic title, the show weekend was bigger and better than ever.

Club chairman Kim Freeman said the first entrants began turning up at the

Horns Corner showground at Catsfield on Friday.

More than 70 hot rods, custom cars and Yanks taking part in Saturday's cruise provided a static display on De La Warr Parade for those brave enough to emerge from the shelter of The Mermaid to face the wind and rain.

Foul Play provided the live music on the showground on Saturday night.

So many donations had been made for Saturday night's auction that, together with lots left over from last year's show which was cancelled because of the water-logged field, that vice-chairman and auctioneer Scott Reid nearly lost his voice during 90 minutes of fast bidding.

One lot alone raised 700,

Drizzle was still falling as the first of a stream of entrants and visitors poured into the showround on Sunday.

Visitors found a funfair, refreshments, trade stands and row after row of spectacular vehicles to take their eye.

Pride of place went to Bexhill's own Steve Carey, ACU British Top Fuel Bike champion in 2006 and runner-up last year, and Purple Princess II his 1,000bhp dragster.

Steve was there with faithful crew members Bob Lovett and Paul Kennard.

Steve's 1326cc Puma/PBR engine is based on the Kawasaki K900/K1000 design but is supercharged and runs on nitro methanol.

Steve passes the end of Santa Pod's quarter mile at 207mph. He is a man of few words.

How does it feel?

"Fun."

The bike has been steadily developed since 2002. Last season's major change was to the angle of the front forks to improve stability.

Bob does the welding, Steve and Paul the machining.

The new fork angle has made Purple Princess less twitchy at speed.

"It tried to barrel-roll at 170mph. When we got it back to the pits, the bottom of the frame had been ground off on the track."

Steve believes in making only one change at a time and adjusting his riding to the change before embarking on another.

"You have to listen to what it is saying to you."

Fellow Bexhillian Pete Grange has spent the last 14 months working on his 1967 Mercury Cougar dragster. The 460 cu. in. Cougar is currently putting out 550bhp. Its best time over the quarter mile is 10.01 seconds at Avon Parkway.

Pete says: "We are only playing at it. But it is so consistent. All its runs have been within a thousandth of a second."

Also for fun is James Ayres' 1963 Morris Minor. Behind the Forties Moggie low-light front and under the carbon fibre bonnet lurks a Rover 3.5 V8. With narrowed Jaguar suspension front and rear, James is still modifying the Steve Bridgeland-built car.

A weekend of contrasts saw a beautifully trick tot rod sporting meticulously machined miniature Jag running gear near a colossal '69 Oldsmobile hearse with flame-effect paintwork and Grim Reaper legend.

Sometimes the right legend makes the car. Seen on a Model Y Ford sporting colossal rear rubber "Y Not" and on a still-up-and-beg Popular with a V8 Old Fords Never Die.

For followers of fantastic fins there were extravagant Yanks like Gary Arkell's '58 Cadillac Eldorado, Pete White's '59 Cadillac Sedan de Ville and Paul Christopher's Buick Electro.

Paul's laconic screen-note: "It's probably more than a mortgage to get it as you see it today."

Father-and-son team Mark and Adam Farley, of Polegate showed contrasting approach.

Mark took a basket-case Stanbury TT trials car three years ago, stripped it, restored it and is now polishing the aluminium body on its Triumph Spitfire chassis and running gear.

Adam's Ford Ka has been lowered and warmed-over.

It's not only the cars that are dressed-up on these occasions. One group arrived wearing solar topees and bush shirts.

Just the thing for a day of drizzle and no sun but fully in keeping with the spirit of an occasion when, both sartorially and mechanically, anything goes.

This year's Cruisers' Mid-Summer Picnic was in aid of the children's respite charity the Agape Trust, Demelza House children's hospice and the Sussex Air Ambulance.